It is known to ensure the protection of a vehicle floor by placing an armour plate at a distance from this floor, such plate being fastened to the cab by deformable linking means such as flexible mounts. Patent DE19913845 discloses such a protection device.
The aim is to absorb part of the blast effect of the mine through the deformation of the armour plate whilst leaving a free space enabling the plate to deform without impacting the floor. The deformable linking means also absorb part of the energy of the shock.
However, the device described by this patent does not provide sufficient protection for the vehicle floor. The energy absorption capacities of the linking means are, in fact, insufficient. Furthermore, the solutions described by DE19913845 do not enable the free space located under the vehicle to be used to house equipment or components of the vehicle itself.
Patent DE19935573 discloses a protection device analogous to that proposed by DE19913845. This device comprises a deformable plate positioned under the vehicle floor to which is it connected by longitudinal beams with a layer of shock absorbing material being positioned between the beams and the vehicle. The protection capacities of such a device are also insufficient. Furthermore, the deformable plate is provided with mobility means that may be projected by the shock against the vehicle floor, and the beams are directly into contact with the floor supports and thus communicate the shock received directly to them.